Kaleidoscope brings people together to improve health and care

We find new ways to overcome old barriers. We enable constructive conversations on difficult topics, using inspiring events to encourage clarity of purpose and rigorous problem-solving. Our approach to collaboration is systematic, evidence-based and cost-effective.​

Ok, let's go back a bit. Why do you even exist?​

​Oh, right, sorry. We exist because we want the population of the UK to enjoy the best health possible. As such, everything we do links back to the many ways individuals’ health, including the role of health care and social care, can be improved.

That’s quite a big field.​

​Yup. And we’re not saying we’re masters of it all (we’re not superheroes - even if we wouldn’t mind having a cape or two). Our particular niche is about the many different ways people can be brought together to improve health and care.

Why does bringing people together matter?​

Well, we can always achieve more together than apart. But also because it’s not something we do particularly well in health and care. In fact, the whole history of health is one of division – building colleges, professions and institutions as walled gardens open to some but not all.

Our focus as Kaleidoscope is all about how you can trample on such boundaries and in turn improve health and care for populations and patients. (Look, managed to write that whole para without writing ‘silo’ once.)

Impressive cliche avoidance. So you’re a charity right? Or part of the NHS?​

​Er, no to both. We’re a social enterprise, or more accurately a Community Interest Company, regulated by the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies. This means we’re here for our mission (you remember: bringing people together to improve health and care) not for the money.

We’re not a charity because we want the freedom to operate as a radically different type of organisation. We’re not part of the NHS, partly for the same reason, partly that our work spans health and care, not just healthcare.

And what's 'radically different'? Do you all wear shorts and sit on beanbags?​

No, but nice stereotyping of any organisation that tries to be a bit different. Part of our rationale for being is that we think the basic template of energy-sapping, mind-numbing, gut-wrenchingly boring traditional organisations is fundamentally broken and in need of a serious revamp.

Yeah yeah yeah, but what do you actually do?

​Look, if you’re going to be that dismissive of Fred LaLoux, I’m not sure if we can be friends.

Ok, I’ll read up on him in a bit.

​Thanks. There’s a great video here if you have a spare 40mins. Starts with a nice story about teeth.

Now can we talk about what you do?​

Of course! We group our work into three buckets. Key thing to remember is we’re a social enterprise run along business lines – ie. we need to sell stuff in order to keep afloat. We have no endowment, no government handouts, no shady offshore backers; we have to make our way in the world.

So you’re for hire?

​Yes. For work related to our mission (and perhaps the odd children’s party if you ask really nicely). Get in touch if you would like to explore working with us.

Your three buckets then?​

First is work to build connections and peer-to-peer learning across health and care. This includes running learning networks on behalf of others, as well as organising innovative events. Some of these are funded by others, some are run by us because we think they’re a good idea (such as our Melting Pot Lunches).

Second is how we work in partnership with others to support their policy, strategy and delivery. For example, past and present work includes with the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham, Public Health England, and Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

Third is developing our own content and projects. This is where we get to have a bit of fun, looking to explore various ways we can meet our mission in new ways. This includes our Unexpected Conversations project in partnership with the Guardian, and Writing the Future, the world’s largest health science fiction short story prize.

Thanks. Helpful. That second one is just consultancy right?​

You cynic you. Yes and no. We undertake work others might well see as consultancy – and if we’re doing that translation, our work particularly would be seen as strategy consultancy (what should you do?), delivery consultancy (how should you do it?), and engagement consultancy (who should we talk to and how?).

However, we’re reluctant to call ourselves a consultancy because we want to work in a very different way to traditional consultancies – and we’re thinking if you want a traditional consultancy, there are plenty of them for you to choose from. Instead, we want to work in partnership with our clients to deliver projects where our agendas align.

I think I get it. Talk a bit more about partnerships again.​

​I know, it’s a bit tricky to articulate. I’ll step back a bit. Health and care is a values driven industry. People tend to work in healthcare, social care or public health because of their values as much as the cold hard cash.

At Kaleidoscope, we have a range of skills to offer to potential clients, but we don’t want to leave our own values at the door. As a values driven organisation ourselves, we care about a lot of the same things as, for example, NHS organisations. Rather than a traditional purchaser/provider model where you contract us to do A, B and C, we’d much rather work in partnership to co-design how best to meet your goals.

Is your work actually any good though?​

​Oof. Getting a bit direct! We think so, but here’s the nice Robin Miller of the University of Birmingham talking about the work we did with them:

“The Health Services Management Centre approached Kaleidoscope to collaborate in providing support for the development of Sustainability & Transformation Plans (STPs). The focus of the work was learning from large scale change initiatives in health and care, and from international exemplars of best practice in population level change. Throughout Kaleidoscope were professional, informed, thoughtful and communicative, and the insights that we were able to provide were of considerable value to the STP processes. I look forward to working with Kaleidoscope again soon.”

So, if I’m interested in working with you, what's the best thing to do?​

​First, that’s great (and well done for making it to the end), and it would be great to have a chat. Drop us a line via our contact form and we’ll give you a ring or have a coffee to discuss further. Equally, if you’ve just put out a tender you think we might be interested in, do let us know about it